This invention relates to a method of energizing an electromagnetically operable seated fluid control valve of the kind comprising a valve member, a seating, an armature directly coupled to the valve member, a core member and a winding which when supplied with electric current magnetizes the core, the armature moving under the influence of the magnetic field to move the valve member into engagement with the seating.
Such a valve can form part of a fuel system of an internal combustion engine and in particular control the duration of fuel delivery to the engine. As such it is required to operate quickly and reliably over the service life of the engine. It has been proposed to use a low inductance and low resistance winding and to energize the winding from a DC voltage source, the source having a voltage such that current limitation at a peak value of current is required. This arrangement enables rapid movement of the armature and valve member to be achieved. However, even though the combined mass of the valve member and armature is kept as low as possible, rebound can occur when the valve member engages the seating. Moreover, the high impact velocity of the valve member and the seating results in mechanical wear leading to a deterioration in the operating characteristics of the combination over the service life.